West Branch Carrabassett to Redington Stream Campsite – 16 miles

This afternoon’s heat and humidity sapped my energy, so I decided to cool off in Orbeton stream.

At the same time, a young man named Easy Mac approached from the opposite direction, also visibly dripping with sweat. We both stripped down to our undies, sat on the sandy river bottom, and reclined until we were shoulder deep. We shared a brief moment, soaking in the cool water up to our chins. Then we fist bumped and headed our separate directions.

I’ll probably never see Easy Mac again, but little interactions like these keep this trip interesting.